Gordon Strachan has named his latest Scotland squad that will take on Lithuania and Malta in September’s World Cup qualifiers.

The squad is full of familiar faces as Strachan goes with players that he knows well.

A few might have wondered about call-ups; Johnny Russell, Graeme Shinnie, Ryan Jack, Barrie McKay, Graham Dorrans, Kenny McLean and John Souttar to name but a few.

But the glaring omission has to be Celtic’s Callum McGregor.

The twenty-four year old has enjoyed a fine start to the season. He has already made seven appearances, three of which have been in Europe. In his three Scottish Premiership starts,the midfielder has bagged two goals.

His confidence is flying and in my books he’s currently ahead of Stuart Armstrong in terms of form, yet Gordon has selected Armstrong in his pool for the upcoming double header.

He is a smart player that offers you plenty of versatility in the middle of the park. He has the ability to find himself in space at the right times, can pick his runs with almost perfection and he has a a healthy goalscoring record from midfield.

Callum can also hold onto the ball and pick a pass, key attributes for any international midfielder. He also seems to relish playing on the big stage and in important games.

His work ethic has also impressed Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers.

The Celtic gaffer has admitted that he’s stunned that his player has been selected by the Scotland boss:

“I haven’t talked to Callum about it but I’m disappointed for him. I don’t know what else he can do.” 

It is a bit more bewildering when you look at those that have been chosen ahead of McGregor.

I’ve already said that I think he’s ahead of Armstrong at the moment. Robert Snodgrass is clearly unwanted at West Ham United, James McArthur has only made one substitute appearance so far at Crystal Palace and I’m just not sure Barry Bannan has ever done enough in a Scotland shirt to justify his repeated selection.

We are struggling to qualify for next year’s World Cup event and much of the current squad have played a big part already in this inconsistent campaign.

If we can name a twenty-six man squad, then surely we can include some fresh faces that are in form and playing with confidence.

When talking about his selections Strachan stated:

“It’s great for players to learn how to deal with big matches, atmospheres, how to travel,”

If you ask me that seems to describe Callum McGregor.

Why Gordon Strachan always needs to wait until public uproar before selecting inform stars is beyond me.

McGregor is just the type of player Scotland needs at the moment yet the only one that disagrees is the national team manager!

Posted on August 22nd, 2017 by scott
Filed under: Article